The choice of South African comedian Trevor Noah to replace Jon Stewart as host of the American TV satirical news programme The Daily Show advances an intriguing new trend of late-night comedy hosts with a more worldly perspective, while continuing the longer-running pattern of keeping those jobs filled with men.
Comedy Central announced on Monday that 31-year-old Noah – who performed four stand-up shows in Dubai last week as part of his Lost in Translation tour – will take over from Stewart, who announced last month that he was leaving the show that he has presented since 1999.
Noah's appointment follows that of British star James Corden – also from overseas and relatively unknown in the United States – who this month took over from Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson as host of The Late Late Show.
“I think people will connect with [Noah] regardless of where he was born and where he grew up, as a citizen of the world,” said Michele Ganeless, Comedy Central’s president.
Noah, who has already made a handful of appearances on The Daily Show, said that he had lived in the United States "and I've learnt to love the place. I'll bring something different because I am different."
He wasn’t saying what kind of changes he will make to the show, known for its bitingly satirical look, from a US perspective, at politics and the news and how it is covered. But he pointed out that he is coming in as part of an already strong team.
“It’s a fantastic team of writers and producers working to make that show magic,” said Noah, who was born to a white, Swiss father and black mother from South Africa during the apartheid era. “I get to be a part of that now as the host and a face, sharing that space with my fellow correspondents. I feel really confident. All I needed in my life was Jon’s blessing.”
His appointment marks the second stage of a complete reshaping of Comedy Central's signature block of programming, after veteran African-American comic Larry Wilmore launched The Nightly Show to replace Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report.
While Noah’s appointment intrigued many fans on social media, there was disappointment from some that women have yet again failed to break into the late-night boys’ club.
“We talked to women and we talked to men, and we really think we found the best person for the job in Trevor,” Ganeless said.